As
I approach my 27th birthday in a few days, it’s got me thinking. Someone
recently reminded me that this is not a particularly significant birthday, such
as your 21st, 30th or 50th birthday is. 27 is just…. 27. But I can’t fully
agree. I believe every birthday is significant and I have always been a big proponent
of celebrating them accordingly. While many of us dread getting older, we
shouldn’t. Each year you live to see another is an accomplishment. You survived. Many who did not live to
see your age will not see this blessing. And truthfully, you never know if this
is the last birthday you will be celebrating. Nothing taught me this more than
losing my grandma last year. I truly view life as a gift. So each year is
something to be cherished and appreciated, whether it’s your 27th or 42nd. No,
your actual age doesn’t mean much and the number may seem trivial, but rather
where you are in life and how much you have grown is the true accomplishment
and worthy of celebration.
For
me, I see significant growth. To be where I am today means a lot to me when I
look back at where I’ve come from. I am impressed with and proud of the person
I have become. I can look back and see how much I’ve changed and grown not just
in a year, but even in the last few months alone. Though I am always a work in
progress, I am very pleased with the progress made so far. I truly like who I’m
becoming each day and I’m thoroughly enjoying this journey and learning a lot.
It’s a great feeling.
I
believe the wisdom I’ve attained in just 27 years is reason enough to celebrate
this birthday with enthusiasm and excitement. Therefore, in honor of my 27th
birthday, here are 27 of the most important life lessons I have learned so far.
1. Someday
may never come. Nike’s slogan may be
the simplest yet most brilliant concept ever. Just… Do… It!
2. Learning
the laws of attraction will change your life for the better and open doors you
never imagined. You CAN have it all. And it’s all based on your thoughts, which
hold incredible and endless power. Use them wisely.
3. The
day I stopped caring about what others think is the day I became free.
4. Never
allow life to taint you so much that you become bitter. I have been hurt,
wronged, lied to, cheated on, stolen from, and had my heart ripped out, broken,
stomped on, and thrown away. But I still believe in the inherent good within most people. Yes, there are bad guys, lots of
them. But it’s NOT most people. Give each individual a fair chance and the
benefit of the doubt. Judge them on nothing else besides their actions and
character. Each of us are on different levels of awareness and consciousness, and
many are limited. But we are all doing
the best we can. Never give up on people or lose faith. And never take the
wrongdoings or ill intent of others personally. It is NOT you, it’s THEM. It is
not about how you are treated but rather, it’s about how YOU react.
5. Perspective
is EVERYTHING. All of the things we think matter truly don’t in the end. Money,
material things, popularity, looks…. All of it can be lost at any given moment
and none of it will keep you happy long-term. Stop dwelling on it and basing
your existence around it. Many people in this world with the least are actually
the happiest. We have a lot to learn from them. We each possess the power to define
our own happiness.
6. People
grow apart. And that’s okay. Don’t hold onto relationships or friendships that
serve no purpose in your life. Learn to let go or love people from a distance.
7. Taking
care of your body is the most important thing we can do. Life is so fragile and
our bodies are truly living miracles that manage to combat illnesses and diseases,
endure constant wear and tear, and still manage to function so amazingly. Eat
well, drink water, sleep properly and exercise. I have definitely not been the
best at those 4 simple things but I am certainly trying. You can never reverse
the damage you do to your health, but it’s never too late to aim for healthy
habits. So listen to your body and treat it like the temple that it is.
8. Traveling
is the next best thing for the soul besides meditation. It expands your perspective
in ways that nothing else can. You not only learn about other cultures and the
beautiful world around us, but you learn priceless lessons about YOURSELF. I
question how anyone can doubt the existence of a creator and a higher being
after witnessing the glory that is this incredible planet. Then I realize, they
just must not have done much traveling.
9. Throughout
the world, we face endless differences and challenges. Yet we are united by
universal values such as love, compassion and family. Those are the things that
translate to any culture or language you can encounter, and you can easily see they
mean a lot to most people no matter where you go. We are all human beings first
and foremost, regardless of the many factors that divide us.
10. Life
is not meant to be fair. Once you accept this and learn to make the best of
things, it will get a lot easier. Everything is all about balance, which means
good AND bad. Both forms of energy are equally important. We would not know
happiness and pleasure if we did not know sadness and pain.
11. It’s
never too late. You can and SHOULD have the life you dreamed of. NEVER settle
for anything less than exactly what you want and what makes you the happiest. You
can quit your job. You can move. You can leave your spouse. You can start your
own business. You can literally do anything your heart desires or end anything
that makes you unhappy. But you and no one else are responsible for your own
choices and results. You control your destiny. You cannot blame your unhappiness
or circumstance on anyone but yourself. Instead, you can change anything that
is not working for you. Maybe not overnight, but definitely in time by setting
goals, making plans and going for it. As they say about winning the lottery, “you
have to play to win”. You have to take action. It will take work and sacrifice.
It may be hard and uncomfortable, and most likely it will take a while. But I
promise you, it will be worth it. Never allow yourself to get too comfortable.
Take risks. Playing it safe can and will lead to regrets. And living with
regrets is not living at all. You do not want to wake up one day when you’re
old and gray and realize all the things you could have, should have, would have
done.
12. Don’t
judge others simply because you do not understand them. Understand that you
were never meant to understand everyone and everything. You truly NEVER know
what the next person has gone through. That person who cut you off in traffic
or who was rude to you in the store could have cancer or be dealing with a
death in the family, or come from a background that you can’t even fathom.
13. Study
the concepts of energy and karma. It is more than just new age mumbo jumbo. It is
REAL. Once I learned the TRUTH about this I never looked back. Keep your energy
as pure as possible, as it is exactly what you will get back. Be kind to everyone,
treat them well and do good deeds whenever possible. Always give it your all
and do the right thing, even when no one knows about it. It always comes back
to you. Compassion and good intentions are the key to life and the basis of our
purpose here on this earth.
14. Embrace
new cultures and welcome new experiences. Be open-minded. You may learn
something new and you may find something you love. We all come from different
walks of life and have our own experiences and paths. That is the beauty of it
all. Try to learn as much as you can from others.
15. Hard
work and consistency pay off in everything and anything. Those who exert great
effort and never give up will have it all. Find what you LOVE to do and go for
it. Survival of the fittest tells us that in ancient times, those who did not
go out and hunt/gather their food simply did not eat. The same applies now.
Except it’s more than just surviving, it’s contributing something valuable to
society based on your unique skills and capabilities. We will all spend a
majority of our lives working. So we might as well love and enjoy what we do. And
when you LOVE what you do, that is when you work the hardest, which leads to
moving up and getting ahead anyway. Plus our work says a lot about us. Make it something
you believe in, feel passionate about, and wake up every morning excited to do.
This is how you can give the most back and make a difference in the world. Your
work.
16. We
must learn to pick and choose our battles. You don’t always need the last word.
You can’t always get others to see your point of view. You won’t always win.
Sometimes “get over it” sounds harsh, but it’s the truth.
17. Keep
studying. Constantly. Never lose curiosity. Remain an eternal student. You can
never have enough knowledge. Soak it up like a sponge. It is the one thing in
life that can never be taken away from you and never loses value. Challenge
your brain. You will be amazed at its capabilities. Aim to learn at least one
new thing a day or be constantly working towards one goal (learning a new
language, studying a topic of interest, practicing a skill, etc.) at any given
time.
18. Technology
has improved and enhanced many facets of our lives, but it has also taken away
many simple joys and pleasures in life, and instead added unnecessary
complexity. I am in fact old enough
to remember the days when you could not be reached 24 hours a day, when you
shared your every thought and personal business with only your diary, and when people knew how to communicate properly
because they had no choice. I find those who are so consumed with social
networks and technology miss out on a lot of the most enjoyable moments. I am
guilty of this at times, but I am trying to do better. Either way, I still
cannot believe anyone is truly living life to the fullest if they are always on
social networks or glued to the phone. THAT IS NOT LIVING!
19. Fitting
into the norms of society is not for everyone. We are so constrained by the
pressure to go to school, get a good job, get married, buy a home, and have
kids. This cookie-cutter lifestyle may work well for many but it doesn’t
necessarily have to be YOUR story. You are given one life to live and it’s
YOURS. You dictate your own rules. You do not need to explain yourself or
apologize for your choices. You are not here to please others or to live this
precious gift according to their standards and expectations… You owe nothing to
anyone. You have to live life for YOU
and do what makes you happy by any means necessary. As long as you do so in an ethical
and legal manner, you have the freedom to live unconventionally. People will
respect you more for being yourself anyway!
20. Expectations
are the root of unhappiness for all human beings. Reading an article about this
in my MBA program made me realize how true this is. Human suffering is
self-inflicted. We set ourselves up for disappointment when we set our
expectations too high. We can never be satisfied because even when we get what we
want, we will always want more. One can remain optimistic without expecting total
perfection and satisfaction from every situation and especially from other individuals.
The truth is you can only rely on yourself as it is inevitable that everything
comes to an end and that you will not always get along with others or agree
with them. Set reasonable expectations to avoid let downs.
21. Learn
to forgive. Holding onto grudges is harboring negative energy, which can
literally cause cancer. Even if they did you wrong, even if you can’t forget
it, even if it will always hurt, find it within yourself to truly forgive
yourself and others. This is the cause of 99% of our unhappiness, illnesses and
problems. Let it go.
22. Jealousy
is a really hideous trait. Seeing
others with things you desire should only motivate you. Stop wasting energy
being envious of others. Rather, spend it focusing on putting yourself in a
position to achieve what you are lacking. And for those of us who have to deal
with these individuals, realize that some really are just miserable and there’s nothing you
can do about it. Don’t waste energy on these people. The best thing you can do
is pray for them, as they need it.
23. Time
is a precious asset. You can always make more money but you can never earn more
time. It is not promised and it flies by. Think about how quickly or a month
seems to pass. So time must be used very wisely and strategically, making every
second count. At the same time, do not become a slave to time. It is not really
real. Children and animals get along
just fine without constraints and pressure centered around the concept of time.
This is why enjoying the moment is so essential. Truly living in the moment is
the only REAL form of happiness we can attain. Worrying about the past or the
future is preventing you from full appreciating the NOW.
24. The
stigma associated with being single is…. Quite frankly… Bullshit. You do NOT
need a partner to make you whole or complete you, no matter what they tell you. You also should not depend
on another for your own happiness or base your entire world around someone
else. It’s beautiful to be in love and to be married. But it’s not the
end-all-be-all of life. It should not define you. YOU define you. Some of the
happiest people in the world are single and some of the most miserable are
married. And things are not always as they seem. No relationship or marriage is
perfect or easy. The reality is that you absolutely cannot be happy with
someone else unless you are happy with yourself. So that comes first.
25. Spending
time alone is critical for every person. This is something that every adult
should experience and truly needs. Learn to enjoy your own company and discover
who you are. Do things YOU love. Alone. Go places. Alone. This is how you grow
and develop the most important relationship of your life – the one with
yourself. How you treat yourself will be the basis for how everyone else treats
you. Learning about yourself and loving yourself is the foundation of ALL your
relationships and endeavors, as it builds character, self-esteem and wisdom.
26. Give
yourself permission to make mistakes. Accept that you will never be perfect but
as long as you’re trying your best and learning, it’s
okay. Learn to recognize when you’re wrong and to genuinely apologize. Don’t
dwell on it. Move on.
27. It
ALWAYS gets better and works out. Everything really does happen for a reason.
It’s all going to be okay.
And one more for good
luck…
28. Laughter
has a healing power. Yet the average person laughs just 17 times a day. That’s
not nearly enough. Learn to take life less seriously and have fun in all you
do. The positive energy you put out into the universe makes the world a better
place and returns right back to you!
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